BlackWaters Backyard Shindig: “People Street” EP Release House Show Party!
For the highly anticipated release of their latest EP “People Street”, BlackWaters transformed their quiet Sheffield home into the North of England’s one-stop-punk-show for the evening.
Greeted by the low hum of ‘War Pigs’ by Black Sabbath, the walk down to the house was preparation in itself. The insatiable atmosphere of chaos oozed out of the garden and into the street, where individuals were already wandering about, cigarettes and tinnies in hand.
Through a narrow alley and into the garden, the set up was nothing short of comically impressive. Every decorative piece had been “borrowed” from local skips, from ice-cream signs to a bike with a scarecrow impaled onto it. A trashy BlackWaters branded bed sheet was draped over a psychedelic backdrop,
.....and would it even be DIY without fairy lights?
The scene was set.
First up to the “stage” was the utter brilliance that is Joey Mojito’s Them Sardines. Electro-pop flowed through these two as they staggered around delivering a mix of lo-fi reassurance through renditions of 80’s classics, it was intimate and genuine entertainment. Extra points for sharing a single pair of studded leather gloves.
Soon after it was the turn of the local newcomers RedFaces. Having played at a handful of festivals both this year and last, this was a well-received change of pace for these boys, but rest assured that no immediacy was lost on them.
An onslaught of indie plastered with fresh-faced swagger, they blazed through their hits “Kerosene” and “Take it or Leave it”, with dancing shoes in full swing. After ripping through their last song “Messed Up Feeling”, everyone took rushed to the shops for more booze, while the dust settled back in the Blackwaters garden, but not for long.
The time had come and smoke was billowing into the summer night’s air, if you weren’t covered in lager yet, have no fear. BlackWaters emerged from their kitchen and strutted over to the setup, kicking off the set with their ever building and unreleased “mystery track”, with Olly’s bass line captivating everyone’s anticipation.
This was then met with the boys shooting from the hips straight into punk rock gold “Fuck Yeah”. The simple pattering of the toms was enough to cause total eruption as lead singer Max was surfing the pit within seconds, as would every band member throughout the set. Yes, even drummer James.
Leaving a trail of destruction from one song to the next BlackWaters rattled through the bangers “Let The Good Times Roll” and “Down”, complete with Max climbing the rear wall and indie anthem sing-along. As expected, the new tunes from the “People Street” EP in no-way disappointed. With guitarist David completely owning the crowd through the riff of the title track, the droning beats of “Help Me” provided an almost trance-like mosh to the splendour of its repetitive lyrics. This relentless energy didn’t waver till the early hours of the morning.
Be sure to catch BlackWaters on their UK tour this July, as “People Street” will be providing you with as much observational angst as your summer requires. From completely encapsulating the DIY punk ethic in their own backyard, it’s only going to get bigger and better for a band like this.
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Stage Photo: Mollie Yates.